Reorder device for boxed merchandise



REORDER DEVICE FOR BOXED MERCHANDISE Filed Jan. 31, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet1 H J 4 w W! I 1 y .BQAM A. TJ/(EFM/QN INVENTOR.

ATTQQNEYS May 17, 1966 B. A. TAKEFMAN REORDER DEVICE FOR BOXEDMERCHANDISE a Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 31, 1964 .BznM/lw TAKE/:Mn/v

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEV s United States Patent 3,251,152 REORDER DEVHUE FOR BOXEDMERCHANDISE Bram A. Talrefman, Los Angeles, Calif, assignor toCalifornia Nut 81 Bolt C0,, Los Angeles, Calif, 21 corporation ofCalifornia Filed Jan. 31, 1964, Ser. No. 341,590 1 Claim. (Cl. 40-312)The invention relates to the reordering of merchandise of the type whichis customarily stocked on the shelves of an establishment in labeledboxes. Typical of the general character of merchandise underconsideration are nuts, bolts, hooks, screws, et cetera handled by ahardware store, or in fact any type of merchandise dispensed in boxescarrying a label on the outside to identify the contents.

More particularly, the invention has reference to an extra labelidentifying the contents, secured to the package at an appropriatelocation and in such fashion that the extra label can be removed andemployed as a vehicle for reordering identical contents after the box ofmerchandise has been emptied.

In establishments which customarily dispense a myriad of small articlesstocked upon shelves in some convenient fashion, the problem ofreordering is a material consideration. When a box of small articles hasbeen emptied, the natural impulse is to throw away the empty box andreorder at a convenient time. Even though shelf space may be properlyidentified, unnecessary time is consumed in taking stock of depleteditems for reordering. On other occasions, when boxes become emptied andare not thrown away in the hope of facilitating the taking of stock forreordering, the presence of the empty box is often misleading,suggesting that merchandise is still in stock where in fact it should bereordered, and as a consequence, sales may be lost and customers becomedissatisfied. Although some reorder schemes have been suggested, suchfor example as providing tear-off labels, schemes of this and comparabletypes have not proved permanently satisfactory for sundry reasons. Onsome occasions the labels, being exposed, become dirty and mutilatedbefore it becomes time to reorder. On other occasions, labels becometorn off before the appropriate time and the advantage is lost for thatreason. A reorder scheme which is not dependable to the extent ofpositively identifying the material to be reordered is often worse thanno reorder system of any kind.

It is therefore among the objects of the invention to 1 provide a newand improved merchandise reorder device which is positive in characterso as to be capable of identifying with certainty the merchandise to bereordered with minimum prospect of errors, and which is quick and easyto use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmerchandise reorder devicewhich carries pertinent informationduplicating the necessary information on the label of the box orcontainer in which the merchandise is stocked, and which, though firmlyafiixed to the container, can be easily torn loose from the containerwhen it is empty without prospect of mutilating or defacing thenecessary reorder information.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedmerchandise reorder device in the form of a printed label or tab whereinthe reorder information appearing on the label is protected so as tokeep it clean and unmutilated for as long as the container will remainon the shelf, and which has a portion only exposed containing legendmaterial comprising a clear and unmistakable direction to the stockclerk as to how the reorder information can be made use of.

to provide a simple, positive and inexpensive merchandisc reorder deviceconsisting of nothing more than a strip of paper appropriately foldedinto a protective location on a container such as a box before the boxis placed upon the shelf, and which includes visible means instructinghow the strip is to be used for reordering, the visible means being suchas to interfere in no manner Whatever with use of the container or boxwhile it is serving to stock merchandise for sale, the device moreoverbeing one wherein there is minimum prospect of being inadvertentlyremoved before the time comes to reorder.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of thedevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafterset forth, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 is a side perspective view of a typical box for merchandiseprovided with the invention in one of its forms, assembled and ready foruse.

FIGURE 2 is a side perspective view similar to FIG- URE 1 showing thereorder device at a partially removed location.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary, end elevational view showing the reorderdevice in place.

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a side perspective view of the reorder device itself at alocation removed from the container.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of a strip of material of the type to be foldedinto the device in the form illustrated in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary side view partially broken away showing asecond form of the invention.

FIGURE 8 is an end perspective view of the strip of information materialused in the form of the invention of FIGURE 7.

FIGURE 9 is ,a lower side perspective view of still another form of theinvention is assembled condition.

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 10-10of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view taken on theline 11-11 of FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 12 is a bottom perspective view of still another form of theinvention in assembled condition.

FIGURE 13 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view on the line 1313of FIGURE 12.

In one embodiment of the device, chosen for the purpose of illustration,there is illustrated a typical box 10 capable of containing merchandisein the form of small kinds of items normally stocked for sale in boxes,very often small boxes, stocked on shelves or at times in drawers of aretail establishment. The box consists of side walls 11, 12, 13 and 14,a top wall 15 and a bottom wall 16. Very frequently flaps like the flap17 are provided at the upper ends of opposite side walls like the sidewalls 11 and 13, and similar flaps 18 and 19 are provided at the bottomsof the same side walls. The top wall 15 is often provided with a flaplike the flap 20 on an edge opposite from a hinged edge 21. Sometimesthe bottom wall 16 is similarly formed. When this chances to be the formof the box, the bottom 16 is usually hinged at the side edge oppositefrom the hinging of the top wall 15, although this construction is notinvariably followed.

A permanent original label like the label Q5 is customarily fixed to theexterior of the box, usually on one of the side walls. In the form ofthe invention of FIGURES 1 through 4 inclusive the label is shown on theside wall 12. Such a label in addition to giving, as a rule, the nameand address of the source of supply, identifies with certainty thequantity and character of the merchandise in the box.

In this form of the invention, the reorder expedient is embodied in astrip 26, shown separately in FIGURES 5 and 6. The strip consists of anoutside portion 27, an inside portion 28, and a tab portion 29. On onewall of the box, as for example the wall 11, there is formed a slit 30which extends in a direction parallel to an edge 31 of the wall andspaced from it. On one face of the inside portion 28 is imprintedindicia 3 2 which identifies the merchandise initially packed in thebox. The identity is most useful when it gives quantity and descriptionduplicating the quantity and description appearing on the label 25. Inthe form of device described, the indicia is on the upper face of theinside portion 28.

On the outside portion 27 is a legend or legend material 33, the legendmaterial being on the exposed face of the outside portion 27. Theoutside portion 27 at one end is connected to the inside portion '28along a fold line 34. At the other end of the outside portion 27, thetab portion 29 is connected, along a fold line 35.

When the walls are assembled to form the box 10, the strip 26 is foldedand may then be immediately applied to the box. This can be done bysliding the inside portion 28 into the space between the bottom wall 16and the adjacent flaps 18 and 19 as shown advantageously in FIGURES 2and 4. The final step of applying the strip is to tuck the tab portion29 into the slit 30 to the location shown in FIGURE 4. The tab portion29 will usually fold over in the general direction illustrated in FIG-URE 4, especially when the interior of the box is filled withmerchandise. The slit 30 is preferably a narrow slit and nothing more sothat the edges will frictionally engage opposite faces of the tabportion 29 and thereby prevent its inadvertent removal. Removal isfurther prevented by the weight of the contents of the box when pressedupon the tab portion 29 at the time the box is filled with merchandise.Although the indicia 32 is shown on the upper face of the inside portion28, it may pref erably be shown on the lower face. 'What is important isthat the indicia might better be kept clean and as an aid in keeping itclean, out of contact with the merchandise in the box. The flaps 1'8 and19 in the embodiment described are helpful in this regard. Should theconstruction of the box be otherwise, the indicia might better be keptclean when printed on the opposite side of the inside portion 28, namelya lower side [facing outwardly away from the interior of the box, itbeing kept clean and non-mutilated in such event by being face to facewith the inside face of the bottom wall 16.

When the occasion arises to reorder a new box of merchandise, eitherwhen the box is emptied or almost emptied, it is necessary only tofollow instructions comprising the legend 33 which directs removal. Inthis embodiment this means pulling the tab portion 29 out of the slitand using the inside portion 28 with the indicia 32 either bodily as areorder slip or by making use of the information appearing thereof formore formal reordering. The strip, of course, can be entirely removedand the empty box thrown away without this interfering with thesuccessful operation of the reorder system.

In a second form of the device following in general that described inconnection with FIGURES 1 through 6 inclusive, there is shown a similarbox 10 wherein a side wall 11' has been left intact, not having beenprovided with a slit like that in the form of the invention of FIG- URES1 through 6 inclusive. A strip indicated generally by the referencecharacter 40 is provided for this form of the invention and consists ofan outside portion 41 and an inside portion 4 2. Here again, one face ofthe inside portion is provided with indicia 4 3 identifying the quantityand description of material in the box. The outside portion is providedon its outer face 44 with the necessary legend describing how the stripis to be handled when removed. A patch 45 of adhesive, preferably nomore than a spot of adhesive, secures the outside portion 41 to theouter face of the side wall 11.

In this last described form of the invention, when it comes time toreorder, the outside portion 41 is merely torn loose from the side wall11, and the inside portion 42 then slid out of its location within thebottom wall 16. Even though the outside portion 41 may be mutilated to adegree, this will have no effect on the usefulness of the inside portion42 and the indicia 43 thereon for purposes of reordering.

In still another form of the invention shown in FIG- URB 9, 10 and 11,there is shown a box 50 provided with end Walls 51 and 52 and side walls53 and 54. A top wall 55 has an edge 56 hinged to the top of the sidewall 53 and is provided with a flap 57 which tucks into the box when thetop wall is folded to closed position. A bottom wall 58 is hinged alonga fold line 59 to the side wall 54 and is provided with a flap 60 whichtucks in as shown in FIGURES 10 and 11 when the box is assembled.

For reordering there is provided a strip 61 in the form of a sleevehaving an outside portion 62 and an inside portion 6 3. The outside andinside portion are joined by respective folds 64 and 65. In thissomewhat elongated form of a box, flaps 66 and 67 at the bottoms of therespective end walls 51 and 5-2 may not entirely cover the inner face ofthe bottom wall 58. In this event it is preferable to have the reorderindicia printed on the opposite face of the inside portion 63, or if noton the opposite face, then on the face adjacent the inside of the boxbut near one end or the other so as to be protected by one or the otherof the flaps 66, 67. Legend material 68 is printed on the outside faceof the outside portion 62 so as to be readily read by the clerk, andinstructions thereby understood for reordering. In this form of thedevice, the strip may be either torn from the box when it is empty ornearly so, to supply the reordering information. Should the box beentirely emptied, the strip may be slipped from the bottom wall 58 byfirst removing the bottom wall from closed position and beforediscarding the empty box.

In FIGURES l2 and 13, a strip 70 of slightly different form is employedfor use with the box 50. In this form, an inside portion 71 of the striplies beneath the flap 66 and has printed on it the necessary indicia forreordering. An outside portion 72 attached to the inside portion along afold line 73 extends through a slit 74 in the bottom wall 58 andunderlies the inside portion 7 1. The outside portion 72, imprinted aspreviously described with a legend carrying instructions for itsremoval, may be removed by pulling it from the slit in the bottom walland thereafter sliding the inside portion 71 out from its position foruse in reordering.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the strip,irrespective of the form, can be nothing more than an inexpensive paperstrip imprinted as described, which is slid into position when the boxis as sembled. It is preferably applied simultaneously with theapplication of the conventional exterior label to make certain thatinformation on the two correspond. Thereafter, the strip remains unusedfor as long as the box continues to be used to stock merchandise forsale. When the time finally arrives for making use of the strip, aportion, such for example as the outside portion, no longer of use inproviding information for reordering, is then torn in some fashion fromthe box, or otherwise removed, making it possible to simply and easilyremove the part needed for reordering which, in the meantime, hasremained clean and non-mutilated so as to be easily read for reorderingpurposes.

While the invention has herein been shown and described in what isconceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it isrecognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of theinvention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed hereinbut is to be accorded the full scope of the claim so as to embrace anyand all equivalent devices.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as 'new in support ofLetters Patent is:

A merchandise reorder device comprising a box having side walls, a topwall and a bottom wall, a plurality of said walls having a foldedclosure relationship with said box when in assembled condition andcontaining merchandise, a permanent original label on said box bearingindicia of the merchandise and a separate reorder label bearing indiciaof the merchandise, said reorder label comprising a strip having anoutside portion overlying part of one of said side walls and having avisible face, an inside portion attached to one end of said outsideportion and lying between said bottom wall and inner folded portions ofadjacent side walls, means for temporarily securing said strip to saidbox comprising a tab attached to the outer end of said outside portion,said References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 933,004 '8/1909 Stingily 40-312 1,781,980 11/1930 .Isaacson 40--3 12 2,797,0156/1957 Grosz 40--3-12 X EUGENE R. CA=POZIO, Primary Examiner. WILLIAMGRIEB, Assistant Examiner.

